


Legends from Bushimo

by Kirbifier



Category: BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!, 少女☆歌劇 レヴュースタァライト -Re LIVE- | Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight -Re LIVE- (Video Game)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Drabble Collection, Elemental Magic, F/F, Non-Graphic Violence, welcome to the bushitrinity au fuckers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2020-11-10 14:30:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20853329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kirbifier/pseuds/Kirbifier
Summary: A collection of filler, prologues, and non-canonical short stories featuring three branches of the Bushitrinity in an overarching Fantasy AU story that I will probably never fully complete.





	1. Disappearance

**Author's Note:**

> don’t expect any of these stories to be canon, only a select few of them will be and you can guess which ones are canon and which ones aren’t.

It had been almost a month since anyone in the kingdom had last seen Sayo. The disappearance of the royal guard had caused worry throughout the entire capital. One of the strongest warriors in the nation had suddenly gone missing, which wasn’t exactly the most reassuring thing. Several search parties had been sent out daily, but so far, none have come back with any hint of where she went, much less the missing guard. 

Hikawa Hina, the younger twin of the missing swordswoman, had been plagued with worry for weeks. She always loved her sister so much, and aimed to be as good as she was in combat. Hina followed Sayo’s every move. Everything she did was so easy, too! Magic was a cinche, combat manuevers were a breeze, even practicing swordfighting when her sister suddenly began doing so was simple. She did these to become closer to her sister. She wanted to feel the rush of exhiliration that Sayo did when she held her sword. Hina longed for attention from her sister, but never got the attention she wanted. Every day, Sayo seemed to become more and more bitter. It was rare to get even a smile out of her.

They were so close, why did Sayo have to disappear and abandon her?

Hina had been roaming the castle halls as of late, looking gloomier with each loop around the place. Normally around this time, she’d be training, but ever since Sayo had disappeared her daily schedule had been affected too. The training she did everyday was because of Sayo, so it felt wrong without her around, even if most of the talking now was her scolding Hina for improper technique. The silence felt wrong. Hina needed something to entertain her, to fill the Sayo-shaped hole in her heart.

Recently she’d been visiting the smithy just to see the cute blacksmith there work. Their random giggles and sudden movements were interesting to watch, at least to Hina. Today was no different. Hina knocked on the door waiting for a response. It was a small building on the castle grounds, far enough from the main entrance that commonfolk woudn’t have to smell metal, soot, and magic every time they got close to the castle. A small black chimney on its roof puffed out smoke. It looked kinda cute in Hina’s eyes.

“Come in!” a voice said.

The door creaked and Hina’s eyes sparkled, just like every other time she’d come into the smithy. The counter in front of the door was vacant, as the blacksmith herself was standing next to the forge, which stood on an elevated platform in the corner away from the door. Next to the forge were several bags hung up on the wall. Hina knew that in them were magic crystals, each of them containing a different magical element. On the walls were so many notes that it was hard to see the walls themselves. Some of them looked fresh, but others looked like they could be months of even years old. Hung up high above the ground were replicas of the blacksmith’s previous works, such as swords, maces, or anything that they deemed worthy of hanging up.

“Hi, Maya-chan!” Hina greeted, happier than she was about two seconds ago.

The blacksmith wiped her brow and waved nervously. “Oh, hey there, Hina-san. Here to watch me again?”

“Yep! You know me! Wish Sis were here so I could finally find a way to train, though.”

Maya began wiping her glasses, absolutely covered in dust. “Didn’t I tell you earlier to ask around for a training partner?”

“Yeah, but”–Hina grabbed a nearby stool and plopped down on it–“nobody’s that boppin’ y’know? I need someone as boppin’ as Oneechan!”

“I assume by ‘boppin,’ you mean strong, correct?”

“Meh, probably! I just want Oneechan to come back.”

The blacksmith put her glasses back on and resumed work on the sword that was sitting on the anvil in front of her. “I do too. I can’t stand this tension that something bad is going to happen without her here.”

The clinking of Maya’s tools and the burning of the forge were the only sounds in the air after that. Hina was busy watching the blacksmith fumble with the sword she was making. Maya kept muttering and giggling to herself, probably unaware that Hina was even watching her.After messing with the sword enough times, she grabbed a few green gems. She could hear the small explosions as Maya effortlessly infused the sword with magic. 

“Nature sword?” Hina asked.

“Yeah, I just got a bunch of commissions from an adventuring academy in Seisho,” Maya replied without missing a beat.

“Seisho? That’s far.”

The blacksmith dipped the hot blade into a nearby bucket of water and immediately brought it back up. “Judging from the number of weapons they asked for, classes are starting again. I dunno why they asked me to make them this year.”

“Maybe they knew about your boppin’ smithing skills?”

“Doubtful. I may have made you and your sister’s swords, but that doesn’t make me world famous, ya know?” Maya wrapped the newly forged sword in leather, placed it on a table to the side, and immediately moved on to the next weapon.

Hina watched her make two other weapons, a mace and another sword, each filled with more giggles and mutters than the last, before someone knocked on the door.

“You’re free to enter!” Maya called, not even looking up from the next sword she was making.

Coming through the door was a Garupian soldier. They carried a sword on their back that Hina very much recognized. She jumped from her chair.

“That’s-!”

“I’m sorry for intruding, Hina-san, but this is very important. We found your sister’s sword.”

The soldier presented the sword to Hina with both hands. Maya looked up from her work.

Sayo’s sword. It was a shortsword, just like Hina’s, however it was forged before her own. The blade was light blue, a sign that it held ice magic within it. The glow from the sword was a little dimmer than Hina’s, as the elder twin preferred swordplay. The pommel was a moon, signifying that this sword belonged to Sayo. It looked the same as when Hina first saw her elder sister wield it.

“Where did you find this?” Hina asked gravely, despair slowly leaking into her voice.

The soldier placed the sword in Hina’s outstretched hands. “We found it laying on the side of the road westwards of the capital. It took a week before we came across it.”

The worst thoughts came to Hina, but she immediately subdued them.

_Oneechan is stronger than that. It’d take a lot to kill her._

“You didn’t find anything else? No armor? No blood?”

The soldier shook their head. “There were no signs of a fight where we found the sword. All of the search parties had magic experts witt them too, and we couldn’t find any traces of ice magic there, either.”

“Did she abandon the sword?” Maya suggested.

Hina turned around slowly, tears almost forming in her eyes. “Why would she have done that?”

Maya left her anvil and took quite a peer at the sword. Cleaning her glasses once again, she inspected the blade quite thoroughly.

“I don’t see very explicit traces of magic on the exterior. I can roughly tell how long its been since a magic weapon has been used by looking at how much magic is on the surface. But I can’t find a solid reason as to why Sayo-san’s sword had become lost.”

In a normal situation, Hina would’ve been super impressed. But the shock from holding the sword that caused her to learn swordplay in her hand was too much for her.

“I’ve already told the king and queen about the situation,” the soldier reported. “If you need to be alone, I’ll get going.”

The soldier left the smithy in a bit of a hurry.

Hina looked at the blade in her hands. In her reflection she saw her sister.

“Oneechan, where are you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this takes place before the main bandori story begins, as roselia cant form without their angsty older sister baby


	2. Déjà Vu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> spoilers for revue starlight i guess

What?

Two seconds ago she was awake in her dormitory room and ready to start the day, and now she was in a field of emptiness? The sudden change from school living quarters to the vast emptiness of this valley nearly made the girl fall over. The ground was white, and stretched out for infinity. There was a heavy silence, nothing aside from the girl was making a sound. The sky above was pitch black, but from somewhere seemed to shine a blinding golden light. Nana couldn’t tell where it was coming from, nor where she was.

Wait, was she in her school uniform? Her hair was done, too. Neither of these things were prepared before arriving at wherever this was. Was this a dream? Did she fall asleep without realizing it?

No, no, no, this had to be a dream. No magic in the world would be powerful enough to not only transport someone that quickly to an unknown space, but also dress them up in an instant. That was impossible. Or was it?

It all felt so real. Her movements, her voice, and gravity felt normal. Yet, Nana felt her body getting lighter, like it did in her own dreams. Moving felt a lot easier than it did in real life. That is, if this were real life.

While she was trying to figure out what was happening, Nana heard a voice. An almost ethereal voice, echoing throughout the emptiness. The voice felt sleepy, but also had hints of grandeur hidden within it. It was of a man, but not one she had heard before.

_ Hello there, Daiba Nana. _

Nana looked around for anyone or anything, and ended up laying her eyes on a giraffe, standing tall far away from where she stood.

“Is that, a giraffe?”

_ Welcome to the Stage of Fate, where both man and creature fight to show us the exhilarating art that is combat. Where the audience watches as two unstoppable warriors test their endurance against one another. Where fantasy becomes reality. _

Nana felt the ground beneath her shake, Suddenly, buildings and hills began rising from the earth. Buildings each taller than the last kept rising one after another. Steep cliffs even started to come out of the ground, reaching to heights several hundred times Nana’s. Streams of magic burst out of the ground as well, overtaking the yellow tint of the environment with multicolored light.

_ The closer a combatant feels to the stage, the more the stage will react to their wishes. Buildings will build and collapse, mountains will rise and fall, the very ocean could fall from the sky. The very essence of magic itself is under your control. The only limit is your imagination. _

Everything in front of Nana’s eyes sank to the ground, returning everything to the dazzling yellow glow. Nana was stunned. What kind of magic could do this? Did such magic even exist? She started questioning if this was a dream again.

Suddenly, a scarlet glare began to interrupt the yellow light. A glowing tiara floated in the air in between Nana and the giraffe. There was something about it that definitely seemed dangerous, but the shine of the tiara looked so enticing. So intoxicating. Something about that tiara made Nana want to start running and grab it. It was as if it were taunting her for staying adamant.

_ Those who present the best fighting prowess are rewarded with the gift of the Top Star, a gift so dazzling, so great, it has caused many a death from chasing it. The Top Star is so great, that it even bestows the wearer with popularity and strength that transcends time itself. _

Nana hesitated for a moment. She absolutely hated being the center of attention. She wanted to stay to the side, to be unnoticed while she took care of everyone. She wanted to be everyone’s “banana,” as Karen put it. And the fact that it caused death for those trying to obtain it? That was an absolute dealbreaker.

“I don’t care about fame. Or strength,” Nana said, an uncharacteristic monotone in her voice.

The words that came out of her mouth were true, but her urge to reach for the tiara was getting hungrier. She was hungry for that glimmering red light. Her sheer willpower kept her feet planted to the ground.

_ I understand. _

The tiara hovered higher above the sky, away from possible reach. Nana felt envy seeping into her heart.

_ But what if I told you, the Top Star has unimaginable power? Power that could bend reality, change worlds, or even... _

The voice stopped for a moment. Nana suddenly had a hunch about what it was going to say.

_Relive one’s life?_

That was the moment she realized. She wanted that Top Star.

_ The audience is omnipotent, Daiba Nana. They know of your secrets. Your world. Your desires. Should you want to decline our generous offer, you’re free to do so. _

The burning red tiara up in the sky flew up higher. Nana felt pain with each second.

_The decision is yours. Will you take part in the Stage of Fate?_

“I...”

“ Nana?”

Nana blinked, and she was suddenly in the classroom. Wait, what?

The classroom. Her classroom, located on the left-wing of Seisho’s only adventuring school. Morning sunlight filtered through the windows. Students were slowly filing in through the door. In front of Nana stood Hoshimi Junna, the class representative, her roommate at the living quarters, and her best friend.

It took Nana a few seconds to start feeling around her body to make sure this wasn’t a dream. Her two swords were by her side, unlike a few seconds ago when she just now realized was unarmed. Her uniform was still on, and her hair was still styled in the shape of bananas.

“Nana,” Junna said. “Are you alright?”

Nana reached out and grabbed Junna’s glasses. They were definitely real. “N-Nana?!”

“Sorry, Junna-chan,”–Nana put the glasses back on the owner’s face–“I haven’t been feeling too well.”

Her mind was somewhere else. That glow... It was horribly tempting. That red glimmer was dangerous, and yet Nana knew she absolutely needed to possess it. Nana wasn’t too confident about her fighting skill, but nothing was going to keep her deepest desires at bay now.

Nobody seemed to notice Nana training non-stop by herself for the next few weeks. And nobody bothered to ask. But nothing could’ve prepared her for the battles ahead.

The first fight was the worst. Nana came across the realization that she would have to fight her fellow classmates. Nor would she have ever even thought about killing them.

The moment she realized Mahiru’s blood was on her hands was the moment she woke up. After a panic-induced morning, she discovered that Mahiru was alive and healthy, if not rather terrified of the girl that apparently just murdered her.

It seemed that the Stage of Fate was truly a dreamscape. The realness of it never left Nana’s mind. The specifics of the whole thing was still a mystery to her. Those who died in the dream immediately woke up. With that in mind, it was much easier for Nana to fight within the arena, even if it was clearly taking its toll on the others.

With each and each fight, Nana grew more and more restless. She needed that crown on her head. The same thoughts repeated through her head for days on end. Junna, who finally noticed Nana’s strange behavior, attempted and failed to stop her insatiable need for her wish. One after another, Nana tore through whoever stood in her way. Futaba, Kaoruko, and Claudine went down without Nana even breaking a sweat.

Not even the academy’s top student could bring Nana to her knees.

As Tendou Maya bled from the two slices in her stomach, the words that came out of her mouth didn’t as much as phase Nana. 

“This is your strength? How did you...”

She coughed up blood.

“Why did you go to such lengths... What the hell happened to you, Daiba Nana?”

Her sword clanged against the marble ground. Then her body collapsed.

The environment cleared instantly. Nana didn’t even look behind her to see that Maya’s body completely disappeared. The blood that spilled all over the battlefield cleared up in a flash. Nana didn’t notice.

She was back in the empty field of the Stage of Fate. White floor, black sky, yellow light. Silence. The giraffe stood in front of her again.

_ Congratulations, Daiba Nana. You’ve surpassed all opposition, and have become the Top Star. _

Nana didn’t even look happy. The stone-like face she didn’t notice she had been wearing was staring right back at the giraffe.

_ Now that the Top Star has become yours, what is your desire? _

There was only one thing in the world that emulated the fiery glow of that tiara she kept seeing in the skies during every battle. The last year of her life had been the happiest she had ever been. There was nothing that came close to it. She treasured each and every memory from that year. Whether it was when everyone received their weapons for the first time, teaching Karen and Mahiru basic magic, or the class’ very first adventure, Nana wanted those moments to last forever. She loved and loved every one of her friends. She didn’t want anyone to leave her. She wanted everyone to be together. Forever.

“To relive our lives as first years at Seisho Combat Academy.”

_ I understand. _

A loud clang echoed through the void. Nana looked down to see the tiara that all of that blood, sweat, and tears led up to. It was finally hers. She reached down to grab it, but a dazzling red light shined from the jewel embedded in the frame. Nana was blinded, but not before she saw a glimpse of one of her notebooks, the one with the frog scribbled onto it.

At this point, Nana was used to all of this sudden transporting, it took her a second to notice that she was at her desk back in the academy.

“The personalized weapons you ordered from the surveys last week should be arriving soon. Please be patient, and continue to use the practice weapons offered to you.”

After the teacher’s announcement, the entire class went into hushed excitement. Whispers of worry and exclamation plagued the room as everyone huddled to the person closest to them.

“Finally!”

“About time. I’m tired of using these crappy practice ones.”

”Things are getting interesting...”

”Someone duel me once we get them! I want a firsthand taste of mine!”

Nana looked around, confused as to what just happened. Didn’t this exact event happen already?

“Huh? Junna-chan, what’s happening?”

The girl next to her nearly fell over at the sound of her own name. “H-huh?!”

Nana tilted her head. “What’s wrong, Junna-chan?”

“Nothing, it’s just...”

Junna adjusted her glasses.

“You called me by my first name, Daiba-san.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this takes place directly before the events of the main starira story. i dont have a set number for how many loops it takes for karen to break it but you can make up a number for yourself.


	3. Escape

Ako jerked awake. All she saw were blurry shapes in the darkness. Her vision was cloudy, it was hard to tell where she was. It didn’t help either that her head was feeling like mush. Why was she so dizzy? And why did it feel like it had been years since she’d been this awake?

Ako tried speaking but was unable too. Her mouth was bound together, with what felt like a cloth. She tried taking it off, but her hands were tied behind her back. Ako couldn’t move her legs either, but they didn’t feel tied together. She couldn’t move them at all.

It took a few minutes before her eyes adjusted to the dark, which was strange. Ako had natural night vision due to her affinity with dark magic. She was inside of a carriage, by the looks of it. Dozens of mundane-looking crates and bags piled up against one another. Ako was still trying to make out what was happening when it all hit her at once.

Screaming. Yelling. Crying. Blurry figures calling out her name. Her sister’s screams.

_ “AKO!” _

Ako slumped against the carriage’s wall. She was kidnapped. Her older sister, Tomoe, and her friends were running away from their kingdom. They weren’t criminals or exiles or like all of those heroes Ako read about in stories. They were just kids. The next queen of the Sunset kingdom was Mitake Ran, one of her sister’s friends. From what Ako understood, she didn’t want to become a leader of an entire kingdom. She didn’t want to be responsible for the lives of all of the happy people that lived there, which is why she ran away from home with a group of friends.

Ako thought it would've been pretty fun to go with them, but the last thing she remembered was being forcibly taken away from her group by a bunch of hooded figures.

Why did that feel so long ago? And why did she suddenly have this sense of clarity?

Ako sat there wondering why she was stolen away from her sister and the others. Was she a hostage? Why was she tied up and being brought to who knows where? When she looked down, Ako saw herself wearing robes she’d never seen before. They were pitch black, but decorated in white markings. Or at least she thought they were white; it wasn’t easy to tell what color they were in the dark. Around her mouth was also some kind of mask, one that was strapped to the back of her head.

Half an hour later, the yell of a man woke Ako up from her drowsiness, which was followed by what sounded like an explosion from outside.

The carriage turned sharply, and then tipped over. Ako landed against the side of the cart, luckily out of the way from the debris that followed suit. From the sounds of it, more wagons from the outside came crashing down. Shouts were heard outside the carriage, panicked and angry. Ako heard the drawing of weapons and magic thrown about. She struggled to get up, but her legs still couldn’t move. Ako threw caution to the wind and attempted to call for help, even though she was gagged. She screamed as much as she could in hopes of getting someone to hear her.

“Someone’s in there!”

Ako heard movement heading towards her amidst the chaos and attempted to turn her head around. What she saw left her breathless.

A beautiful sorceress kneeled at the mouth of the carriage. Her red robes and hat glowed in the dark, which lit up her long jet black hair. Her expression was worried. In one hand she held a wooden staff that had a blue jewel floating in the center of its head. Ako was breathless for a few moments before she realized she was being approached by the sorceress.

Ako’s eyes twinkled as the woman knelt down.

“Are you okay?”

The woman untied the cloth that was covering up Ako’s mouth, then untied the rope that bound her hands.

“Th-thank you,” Ako croaked. She immediately noticed that she sounded like Death himself. 

“Can you stand?”

Ako shook her head. “I can’t move my legs.” Talking hurt a lot. 

The woman put her free hand against Ako’s calf. After a few moments, she shook her head.

“They casted a binding spell on your legs. Here, grab onto my back.”

She set down her staff for a moment and turned around. Ako, with wobbly arms, wrapped them over the woman’s shoulders, who then lifted her up with relative difficulty. She then knelt down again to take her staff. On her back was a weak girl unable to walk, and in the other was her weapon.

“Let’s get you out of here,” she said.

Ako hummed in agreement as they crawled out of the destroyed carriage. As soon as her savior stood, she began to run. The night breeze blew against them as battles waged around them. Ako tried making out what was happening, but her eyesight was still a bit screwed up. Flashes of light came from all sides. Dark hooded figures clashed with wizards and mages wearing varying colors of robes.

The night sky was clear, allowing the stars above to twinkle, and the full moon was also out to play. They appeared to be in the middle of a large plain, trees dotting the landscape and making shadows against the night horizon. The two of them were escaping from the main road where the skirmish was taking place. The woman moved side to side, avoiding any danger that happened to be headed her way. She appeared to be trying not to draw attention to herself, as Ako noticed that she avoided everyone that didn’t look occupied.

The woman suddenly began sprinting towards a grouping of trees in the distance. Ako tried her hardest to keep her grip tight, which wasn’t very easy. Whatever slumber Ako was in must’ve taken a lot of energy out of her. She was beginning to slip off of her rescuer.

“Hang on. We’re almost there,” the woman assured.

Just then, Ako heard the approaching whistle of an arrow from behind her. Without any warning, she was thrown off, pain erupting in her shoulder. She cried out in pain and fell to the ground, clutching her arm. Ako gasped for air as she watched her rescuer grab her staff, which fell next to her. She still couldn’t move her legs.

“The puppet!” a voice yelled. “Don’t let it escape!”

The stomping of several pairs of boots came closer to Ako before what sounded like more arrows flying and the eruption of fire magic interrupted the opposing force. Ako watched with blurry vision the fight that broke out in front of her.

“Get back!” the woman shouted, a hint of fear trembling in her voice.

A massive wall of flame erupted in front of Ako. Arrows and magic plinked off of the barrier, protecting her. The heat nearly seared Ako’s face off, but that was nothing compared to the unbearable pain in her shoulder. The sorceress knelt down once again to pick up Ako.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

Ako gave the slightest nod. This was bad, but she’d been through worse. At least, that’s what she thought when she realized she felt a lot weaker than when she was a few minutes ago.

“We need to go, the barrier should hold them off for long enough,” the woman panted as she picked Ako up again. In sight was a small group of trees and shrubbery, which hid the few horses and people that stood inside of it. The sorceress kept moving at a slower pace than earlier, but enough to stay out of reach from whatever could even get through the barrier behind her.

As soon as they reached the grove, the people there instantly noticed the girl on the sorceress’ back.

“Rinko, what happened over there? Who is this?”

Rinko laid Ako down on the floor, careful not to place her on the wound, and started straddling one of the horses. “She’s a hostage I found in one of their carriages. I’m getting her back to the base. Help me get her on.”

The person picked up Ako, who gave a small wave despite her shoulder being in pain, and with relative difficulty seated her behind Rinko.

“Are you sure this is a good idea? You’re one of our best mages, and having you escape means our chances of success will be lowered,” the person asked.

“You’ll all do fine, this group is just for transport.”

The other person waited before they replied. “Alright. Get back safe, alright?”

Rinko nodded. “C’mon, Dorte!” she said as the horse broke into a gallop. The person saluted, then drew their weapon and vanished into thin air.

“Hold on to me. We’ll be riding for a while,” Rinko said.

The pain in Ako’s shoulder was beginning to numb, but she wrapped her arms around the woman’s waist anyway. She was warm. And soft. 

The two of them rode into the night. The sounds of battle were growing further and further away until they were completely gone. Every so often, Ako looked behind her, scared of potential people still chasing her. After about ten minutes or so, they slowed to a brisk trot. Ako still held on to Rinko’s body.

“I’m afraid I haven’t told you who I am yet,” Rinko said after another half an hour.

Ako woke up from the short nap she had been taking. “Huh?” She still sounded terrible.

“Try not to speak, okay? I fear you’re in terrible condition.”

Ako nodded.

“I haven’t introduced myself, have I? My name is... Shirokane Rinko. I’m a mage from the Roselian region. Ever heard of it?”

Roselia was a country that bordered the west of the Sunset kingdom, the region where Ako was from. Of course she’d heard of it, the two countries constantly had petty wars. Not full scale wars, but just small skirmishes every few months. Another reason why Ran hated being the heir to the throne; the throwing away of lives for barely anything in exchange disgusted her to her core.

Ako nodded, but Rinko didn’t really say anything after that. The silence of the trip carried on for a few more minutes, until Ako bumped her head against Rinko’s shoulder.

“Nodding off?” Rinko said in a giggle. “You can... sleep on me, it’s fine.”

Ako rested her head against Rinko. She was relieved to finally get some rest after the chaos of what happened in the last hour. Ako closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.

* * *

Ako woke up to the sound of a door opening. When she opened her eyes, she saw a ceiling made out of stone that she’d never seen before. Looking around, she realized she was in a bed, with fluffy sheets. She tried to sit up, but had some difficulty. Ako felt incredibly dizzy, but managed to do it anyway.

When she looked around, Ako didn’t see much. It looked like a normal bedroom, complete with a desk with a mirror, a drawer, and a window that had sunlight shining through. The robes she was wearing yesterday, or the last time she was awake, hung next to the desk.

“Good morning,” a voice said. Ako turned her head to see that Rinko had come in with her staff and some food.

“Morning!” Ako shot back, before realizing her voice and throat were back to normal, except for one thing.

“Woah... My voice is deeper than I remember it being,” she noted.

It was strange. Her arms also felt longer than usual. How long had it been since she remembered anything?

“Is that true?” Rinko asked.

Ako couldn’t remember a thing that happened since she got kidnapped that night. How long ago was it? It was impossible to tell.

_ Wait, hold on. _

When she looked at the mirror on the desk earlier, something wasn’t right. Ako slowly got out of the bed she was in.

“Ah, you shouldn’t be getting up so soon-!”

When she tried to stand, Ako fell to her knees, legs clearly weak from being released from the binding spell earlier. Rinko knelt beside her.

“You need to stay in bed and get some rest,” she insisted, but Ako had other plans.

“Rinko,” Ako struggled to say. “Get me to the mirror.”

Rinko decided to fulfill this strange request that Ako made. Ako wrapped her free arm around Rinko’s back, and used the support to wobble over to the desk mirror.

What she saw scared her.

“Wh-what happened to my hair? And my eyes?!”

In her reflection was what looked like, an older Ako, at least three or four years older than the Ako she remembered. She wasn’t too much taller than the herself she remembered, but her face definitely looked less childlike. However, the first thing that stuck out to her was the drastic change in her hair and eye color. Her hair was a mystical shade of purple, and her eyes bright red.

“Wh-what’s so wrong with that?” Rinko asked, suddenly scared.

“My hair used to be red, and my eyes were green. Why are they suddenly-?”

Just then, Ako suddenly got a headache, and collapsed to the floor. With some difficulty, Rinko took her back to her bed. A million things were going through Ako’s head, pain being one of them.

“Wh-what year is it?” Ako asked cautiously.

“Um... right now it is 637.”

Ako nearly jumped. “Huh?! The last time I checked, it was 632! There’s no way I slept for five years, that’s impossible!”

Rinko whimpered every time Ako raised her voice. She tried speaking to get Ako to calm down but the words died in her throat every time she opened her mouth. “P-please!”

“What happened to my sister? How worried is she for me? Oh gods, please let her be safe...”

“Please, just-!”

It took a lot of begging, but Ako eventually settled down, finally done with her initial freakout.

“I’m sorry for scaring you, Rinko,” Ako said after scarfing down her meal. She realized that if she had been out for five years, this was the first time she’d eaten for that long. Was that how that worked? Some messed up magic was definitely in play here. Something unnatural was used to keep her alive for that long.

“Oh, it’s... fine,” Rinko squeaked back. “I get scared really easily... it’s okay... really.”

She shuffled her feet around. Ako eyed her shy expression.

“What happened yesterday?”

“I should probably explain...” Rinko was regaining her voice back. “We’re currently in Roselia, a little ways away from the west border.”

_ So nowhere close to home _ , huh, Ako thought. She was seriously wondering where her sister and her friends were. Ako knew they couldn’t be dead, none of them would have gone down without a serious fight.

“I work for a... mercenary company named Neo Fantasy Order... or NFO for short. Recently we’ve been getting... reports of a large group of rogues terrorizing villages around the area."

Ako nodded along. This sounded pretty normal, considering she did that with her friends all the time back where she was from.

"They weren't average rogues, though. They were a cult. I don't remember their name exactly, but they were notorious for one thing."

Ako's head tilted.

"They kidnap people who have dark magic and use them as their puppets."

"What the?" Ako mumbled.

Rinko fidgeted with her staff. "We've been getting... reports after reports of people who appear to be under the influence of others. Do you know... how human puppetry works?"

Ako had read about it in books before, during her time of immense interest in magic. "Umm, human puppetry is a branch of dark magic, where someone takes over the body of another and makes it do their bidding... Symptoms of being possessed are... erm..."

Ako racked her brain pretty hard. It was a topic she skipped over, taking control of someone's actions without their consent was... icky.

"Red... eyes... and I think loss of memory... and consciousness... Oh."

Now everything made sense. Her sudden change in eye color, as well as the blank memories over five years, were both signs that she was possessed by those cultists.

"Damn it..." Ako said. "I hope I didn't kill anyone..."

Rinko seemed to shrink. "It's... hopeful thinking... But... last night we followed some leads from scouts of ours. A bunch of carriages were... raiding towns and villages. A strike force was sent out to dispatch them. And... that's when we found you."

Ako was lost in thought. What caused her to break the puppet spell?

Well, it didn't matter.

"Did you guys terminate the cult?"

Rinko shook her head. "We only managed to capture some of... them. The rest got away... and even then, there was no sign of a leader... amongst them."

"Darn."

"At the very least..." Rinko mumbled. "We managed to save you... I can't... say the same about... the rest of them."

"Them?"

The mage looked away, expression sullen. "We... couldn't save the other... puppets..."

Ako suddenly felt dread settle on her shoulders. "I... huh. Alright."

Silence filled the room. Gears in Ako's head were turning. She tried to make sense of all this, but she couldn't.

After what felt like an eternity, Rinko set down the tray of food and stood. "Anyway... you should get some... rest."

She started heading for the door, but not before Ako shot out her hand. "Wait!"

Rinko jumped and squeaked.

"I- whoops, sorry for scaring you."

Rinko turned around shakily.

"I want to thank you for saving me." Ako flashed a grin. "I know you probably feel... uh... bad about not capturing the cult's leader, but I'm glad to still be, here, y'know?"

Rinko blinked a few times before getting over her shock. She then smiled. "Then... you're very welcome... But please, rest, okay?"

She then went out the door. Ako suddenly realized how hungry she was once her stomach growled.

"Oh."

**Author's Note:**

> yell at me on twitter: @hikawazah


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